1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the control of a microscope observation system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, a microscope observation system is widely used in various fields beginning with the research of the biological field up to the inspection process of the industrial field and the like. In a microscope observation system used in such a field, an image obtained by magnifying and observing a fine specimen can be recorded on a personal computer (hereinafter called PC) as digital data, observed and analyzed. The change of a specimen can also be recorded as video images.
In the conventional microscope observation system, one configured by adding an imaging equipment for capturing images to a microscope as its component is common. In this case, when observing the enlarged image of a specimen, in the conventional microscope observation method, the morbid part of a body and the defective part of a specimen are discovered by peeping through an eyepiece lens. When desiring to record the portion, an imaging equipment is used at that moment.
For an image data recording device, an imaging equipment dedicated for image recording is used. Image data is recorded on non-volatile memory, is read into the PC via the non-volatile memory and is analyzed on a monitor connected to the PC. Alternatively, an image is obtained by an imaging equipment and is displayed on the video device directly connected to the PC. The object of the image data recording device is to record image data and the image data recording device is positioned similarly to the picture taking device in conventional microscope system.
However, recently, thanks to a plurality of ripple effects, such as the performance improvement of a PC, the digitization of an imaging equipment, the improvement of its resolution and the improvement of image quality level and the like, almost the same observation as eyepiece observation has become possible even on the monitor of a PC.
In such a technical background, the following various inventions for setting an imaging equipment in an optimum state by using the information of a microscope and improving its operability and performance are proposed.
According to the invention of Japan Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-292369, a microscope observation system for automatically setting the display method of a monitor display unit on the basis of the operation condition of a microscope is proposed. In the invention of Japan Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-292369, even when an observer is unfamiliar to the operation of an imaging equipment, the observation image of the microscope can be always picked up in its optimum state.
In Japan Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-128582, a device whose operability of forming and framing (shooting composition) of a specimen is improved and by which high quality images can be obtained even when a specimen is dark is proposed.
Furthermore, in Japan Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-177307, the reliability of the device is improved, for example, the amount of reflected light into a light receiving device can be suppressed by inserting an ND filter in an observation optical system as a measure for preventing an imaging equipment from breaking due to the mis-operation of an observer.
In Japan Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-507766 (WO 01/013640), as a method for recording an observed image and the state change of a specimen at certain intervals, the setting of an imaging equipment is specified, detected and reflected in software for taking in images.